1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable device, and particularly to a portable device having a photographing function and a function of displaying an image obtained by photographing.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, cellular phones have been widely used. Shapes of such cellular phones can be roughly divided into three types, i.e., a straight type, a flip type and a clamshell type. Among them, the cellular phone of the clamshell type can be small in size when it is folded so that the needs for it are higher than those for the other types.
Recently, a cellular phone shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B has been proposed. The cellular phone in FIGS. 15A and 15B has two bodies coupled together by a coupling portion allowing opening and closing thereof. One of the bodies is provided with a main liquid crystal display 104 (which will be referred to as a “main display 104” hereinafter), a liquid crystal sub-display 120, which is arranged on a rear surface of the body remote from liquid crystal display 104 (and will be referred to as a “sub-display 120” hereinafter), a camera portion 121, which receives reflected light from a subject by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and provides an electric signal forming an image signal, and an antenna 106 as well as first and second shutter keys 113 and 107 allowing external operations. Main display 104 or sub-display 120 displays an image of the subject according to the image signal provided from camera portion 121.
FIG. 15A shows a case, in which a user opens the cellular phone and takes a picture of the subject by camera portion 121. In this case, the user views main display 104 to check images of the subject obtained by camera portion 121, and presses first shutter button 113 to operate a shutter when an intended picture is viewed. Image data of the subject obtained by this shutter operation is stored in an internal image memory (not shown) of the cellular phone. FIG. 15B shows a case, in which the user keeps the cellular phone in a closed position, and directs camera portion 121 to the user himself for taking a picture of the user himself. In this case, the user views sub-display 120 to check the pictures of the user himself obtained by camera portion 121, and operates the shutter by pressing second shutter button 107 when an intended picture is viewed.
According to the cellular phone with the camera described above, the direction of the camera portion in the folded state is opposite to that in the open state unless the user changes the position or direction of the cellular phone in user's hand when the state changes between the folded state and the open state. Thus, the positions of the CCD of the camera portion, where the reflected light coming from the subject is received, are inverted depending on the state of the cellular phone. Therefore, images are displayed according to the image signals provided from the camera portion in such a manner that the image taken in the folded state is inverted with respect to that taken in the open state. More specifically, when images of a human were taken in the folded state and the open state, respectively, a head is in an upper (normal) position according to the image obtained in one of these states, and the head is in a lower (upside-down) position according to the image obtained in the other state. Therefore, the user must change the position of the cellular phone in his hand for checking or previewing the displayed image so that the user can view the image in the normal position and direction.